Scoops Dynasty heads a talented field in Saturday's Grade 2 AQHA Racing California Challenge Championship at Los Alamitos.

© Los Alamitos

By Orlando Gutierrez

CYPRESS, CA–JULY 29, 2026–Highlighted by the Grade II AQHA Racing California Challenge Championship at the classic 440-yard distance and a $57,724 Pick 6 carryover, a marquee night of Quarter Horse racing is set for Saturday at Los Alamitos.

The winner of the AQHA Racing California Challenge Championship will earn an automatic berth into the prestigious Grade 1 AQHA Racing Challenge Championship at The Downs at Albuquerque in New Mexico. Adding to the excitement for horseplayers, Saturday’s 8-race card will feature the Pick 6 carryover of $57,724. The sequence begins in Race 3, and with fresh money expected to pour into the pool, total wagering could top $175,000.

The One to Beat: Scoops Dynasty

Headlining the premier event is the formidable Idaho-bred gelding Scoops Dynasty. Bred and owned by Edward and Von Zae McNelis, the 7-year-old son of Fdd Dynasty out of Bye Sweet Girl brings elite back-class and deep big-race experience to the gates.

Over his 34-start career, Scoops Dynasty has compiled 11 wins and $834,833 in earnings. An eight-time stakes winner, he has been lethal at distances of 400 yards and beyond. His resume features:

• The 2025 Grade 1 Challenge Championship: A victory at Albuquerque on October 19, 2025, taking home $135,301 at 440 yards after qualifying via the Arizona regional final.
• Grade 1 Go Man Go Handicap: He’s a two-time winner at Los Alamitos (2023 and 2025).
• A big sophomore season: He scored two graded derby wins in 2022, winning the Grade 1 Los Alamitos Winter Derby and Grade 2 Golden State Derby.

Trained by Diego Cervantes, Scoops Dynasty will break from post position four with jockey Jesus Rios Ayala in the irons.

The Contenders

Scoops Dynasty will face a stacked lineup looking to pull off the upset, led by a trio of runners from the barn of trainer Valentin Zamudio:

• Whiskey Wes (Post 1): Owned by Andrea Canales, this seven-time winner and earner of $123,654 scored twice at Turf Paradise earlier this season. He breaks from the rail under Ruben Lozano.
• Invasive (Post 3): Also trained by Zamudio, he returns to Los Alamitos for the first time since winning the Adequan California Derby Challenge in May 2025, having tested top competition across five major racetracks nationwide since.
• Hes My Sweetheart (Post 5): Owned by Fernando Canales, this consistent gelding has 6 wins in 10 career starts, including a 2024 stakes win in Phoenix and a strong runner-up finish in a $33,000 stakes at Turf Paradise last out.

Rounding out the field is Gentry Farms' Bold N Beautiful. Following a standout sophomore campaign where she qualified for four Oaks finals, she recently delivered a runner-up effort behind PCQHRA Horse of the Year Shaken Goin On in the Grade 2 Abigail Kawananakoa Stakes. The only filly in this race will start from post number two.

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